Apparatus for the manufacture of gas



(N0 Modl.) 2 Sheets-Sheet -1 J. R. KENDALL; APPARATUS FOR THEMANUFACTURE OF GAS.

Patented Feb. 23, 1892.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. R. KENDALL. APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS- NO. 469,574.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES-R. KENDALL, or TERRE HAUT 3, INDIANA.

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 469,574, dated February23, 1892.

Application filed February 27, 1891. Serial No. 383,133. (No model.)

To whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J AMES R. KENDALL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Terre Haute, in the county of Vigo and State of Indiana,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for theMannfacture of Illuminating and Heating Gas; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of referencemarked thereon, which form part of this specification. 1

My invention relates to an improved apparatus for the manufacture ofilluminating and fuel gas from hydrocarbons, steam, and air; and itconsists in the novel construction and arrangement of its parts, whichwill be more fully hereinafter described, explained, and pointed out'inthe claims.

The objects of my invention are, first, to provide a better apparatusfor the manufacture of illuminating and fuel gas than has heretoforebeen produced, and thus to facilitate and cheapen its production, myinvention being peculiarly adapted to localities where the same gas isused for both heating and illuminating purposes, and, second, toovercome the objections or defects existing in prior apparatus of thisclass, and, further, to produce an apparatus which shall becomparatively inexpensive in construction, simple, and effective in0peration,strong,not liable to get out of order, and easily managed.These objects are attained in the improved apparatus illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, in whichthe same reference letters or numerals indicate the same orcorresponding parts.

Figure 1 represents a vertical sectional view of my improved apparatus;Fig. 2, a horizontal section looking down on the same at the line X ofFig. 1, and Fig. 3 a horizontal section looking down on the same at theline .Y of Fig. 1.

- In the drawings, A represents the main casing or body of my apparatusand is an upright cylinder made of'suitable material, preferably ofsheet metal, and is lined with fire-brick a or other suitable material,as is its cover T, which has in it the valve '1", closed by the hinge E.

The apparatus A has within it three chambers B, O, and D, of which 13and C are heating and decomposing chambers, and D the gas-receivingchamber, the remaining space Within the cylinder being filled, as shownin the drawings, with layers of fire-brick or other suitable material 5s b I), supported on firebrick arches b b. The lire-brick are laid inrows a short distance apart, alternate layers being laid in rows atright angles, forming a brick checker-work, in which the currents of gaspassing through the cylinder are interrupted and broken up, thus causinga thorough diffusion and mixture of the gases throughout the cylinder orretort. The top layers of the checker-work are covered with a layer offire-brick balls or spheres s s, which form grate-like bottoms for theheating or decomposing chambers.

Access to the chamber B for the purpose of cleaning, repairs, andinspection is had through the valve-opening T, before-mentioned, and tothe chamber 0 through the man-hole R. (Shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1.)The valves K and T are used to admit air while the retort, is beingheated to the proper degree for fixing the gas and are 'closed duringthe operation of fixing.

Blocks Z Z, of suitable refractory material, which contain the curvedand verticallyflared tuyeres t t, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, are setinto the lining of the retort in such position that the tuyeres willopen into the chambers 15 and C. These tuyeres, as shown in Figs. 1 and2, are curved and flared in such a manner as to cause the hydrocarbonvapor,

steam, and air passing through them to spread out and rotate aroundthechambers, thereby diffusing and commingling the same.

The gas-receiving chamber D is provided with the discharge-pipe d,through which the gas which has entered it from the chambers B and O andpassed through the checker-work b 1), leaves the retort or generatorfEmbedded in the lining of the retort are the circumferential steam-pipes'0' i and the vertical air-pipes pp, which connect by means of the pipes13 19" and p p" with the tuyeres t 25. These pipes 19 p" at the pointwhere they enter the retort and are connected to the tuyeres areconsiderably contracted in diameter, forming nozzles 2' 2', at thelarger end of which, as shown in Fig. 1, enter the nozzles t" t", whichadmit the hydrocarbon to the retort, and behind them the pipes t' i" inthe lining of the retort, through which is adin operation.

Connecting with the pipe (1 is the vertical stand-pipe or stack S,leading out into the open air and which has in it the steam-jet W forproducing a draft in said stack.

The air-pipes p p and p p are provided with the valves 2, 3, and 4, andthe pipes pp with the regulating-valves 5 for controlling the admissionof air to the retort.

The stack S is provided with the valves 1 and 6 for controlling theadmission of gas to the stack.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: In firing up, wood,shaving, waste, or other suitable material are thrown into the chamber Band ignited. The valves in the oil and steam pipes t" t" and 2' t', areopened and the hydrocarbon spray or vapor is injected by steam into thechambers B and C and ignited. The valves 1 and 6 in'the stack S are nowopen, and the steam entering through the jet WV creates a draftwhich'draws the products of combustion downwardly through the chambersBand G into the pipe dand thence upward through the stack S into the openair, a portionthe heavier products of combustion passing back again intothe chambers B and 0 through the in j ectorst' where theyare againsubjected to heat. At the commencement of the operation air is allowedto enter through the opening T K and the air-pipespp. Aftera time thevalves K and T are closed by handle K and cover E, and the air isallowedto enter only through the pipespp, in passing through which it becomesheated and thus supplies the retort withahot blast. In the same mannerthe steam entering at 2' and passing through the pipes t'" t' in thelining of the retortbecomes highly superheated and, passing into theinjectors 71 i, completely vaporizes the oil as it enters. Under theinfluence of the intense heat caused by the combustion of the mingledhydrocarbon vapor, steam, and air the brick checker-work and lining ofthe retort become highly heated. This heating is continued until theinterior of the retort .and the brick checker-work are heated toincandescence, which fact the operator can determine by looking throughthe peep-holes e e. When the interior lining of the generator or retort,together with the spheres and brick checker-work, has been thus heatedto incandescence, which fact can be observed through the peep-holes e c,the air-valves 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 and the valves K and T'are closed andthe hydrocarbon vapor and steam, together with such amount ofair as willbe drawn into the retort through pipe p, the regulating-valve 5 in pipe19' being partly or wholly opened, as may be necessary, are subjected tothe heat of the chambers B and C and the spheres s s and checker-work N9and are thereby converted into fixed gas, the products derived from theheating in the cham ber B passing down through the upper spheres s s andchecker-work b 1) into the chamber 0, where additional hydrocarbon Vaporand superheated steam are added thereto, and then the commingled vaporsand gas are passed downwardly through the lower spheres and checker-Workb b and by the heat therein, as above stated, converted into fixed gasand conveyed into the lower chamber D. Through this lower chamber D thegas thus produced and fixed is drawn off through the pipe cl and througha waterseal (not shown in the drawings) into agas-holder. This processof producing gas in the retort thus heated 1 to incandescence iscontinued until the interior of said retort becomes toocool to convertand fix gas, which fact is ascertained through the peep-holes cc, andthen the air-valvesare again opened and the reheating of the retort isagain commenced, as first mentioned. It will thus be seen that in themanufacture of heating and illuminating gas in the apparatus hereindescribed the heating of the generator or retort and the converting orfixing of the gas-follow each other alternately.

I do not limit myself to the precise construction of apparatus shown anddescribed in this application, but claim the right to use in anyapparatus similarly constructed.

Having thus described my invention, what 'with a retort, as A, linedwith fire-brick or other refractory material, as a, and containing twocommunicating heating-chambers, as B and 0, each of which has a bottomcom posed of spheres, as s .9, made of refractory material, and a massor checker-work body of refractory material beneath it, asb b, of means,as the injectors t' it t'", pipes p, and tuyeres It 15 for passinghydrocarbon vapor, steam, and air into each of said chambers separately,and air pipes located in the walls of the retort and provided withvalves and connected with pipes 19' '9 and an uptake provided withvalves connected Withthelower end of said retort for causing theresultant products to pass downwardly through the refractory materialunder them and into a single chamber, as D, for collecting the fixed gasfor transmission through an outlet, as (Z, substantially as described.

IIO

2. In an apparatus for manufacturingheating and illuminating gas, thecombination, with a retort, as A, lined with fire-brick or otherrefractory material, as a, and containing two communicatingheating-chambers, as B and 0, each of which has a bottom composed ofspheres, as s 8, made of refractory material, and a mass or checker-Workbody of refractory material beneath it, as b b, of means, as theinjectors t' t t'" t'", pipes pp", and tuyerestt, arranged tangentiallyto the chambers for passing hydrocarbon vapor, steam, and aircentrifugally into each of said cham bersseparately, and air-pipeslocated in the Walls of the retort and provided with valves connectedwith the lower end of said retort and the pipes 19' p" for causing theresultant products to pass downwardly through the refractory materialunder them and into a single chamber, as D, for collecting the fixed gasfor transmission through an outlet, as cZ,substantially as described.

3. In an apparatus for manufacturing and producing heating andilluminating gas, the a combination, in a cylindrical generator orretort, of two communicating heating and decomposing chambers lined withrefractory material and having circumferential steampipes and verticalair-pipes embedded in said lining and connected to the tuyeres it by thepipes 19" p pp, each of said chambers being provided with separateinjectors and having separate bottoms composed of fire-clay balls orspheres resting upon a body of firebrick checker-work and supports, witha receiving-chamber situated below said decomposing-chambers forreceiving the gas produced therein and having an outlet-pipe con nectedwith a stack or pipe for exhausting the gases or vapors in thedecomposing-chambers and also with a main for conveying fixed gas to agas holder, substantially as dedescribed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signaturein presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES R. KENDALL.

W'itnesses:

JOHN G. ROBINSON, GEORGE M. DAVIS.

